I, Edith Werger (advocacy representative), would like to update you on the final offer that employers made in the third round of negotiations last Friday. In this link you will find the final offer.
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5,5% gap
De Unie in its proposal letter requested the inflation correction plus 1%, so 13% at that time. At the time of this writing, inflation is already higher, but it is still expected to decrease (significantly) in the near future. The employer started with 5% and eventually ended with a 7,5% structural wage increase as of January 1, 2023. The employer is therefore 5,5% below the wage requested by us. In the proposal letter, we indicated that we do not actually expect employers to agree with 13% in these harsh special times. They simply cannot, because then they can pack and so can the employees. But on the other hand, you also have to pay your bills and the fact that you have actually lagged behind with your salary in recent years compared to the other professions that you could also perform. Even without the high inflation, a really high wage increase was in order this time.
Speed of action is required
Employers felt very strong pressure to come up with a result quickly, because it is assumed that the higher wage costs can still be passed on to customers. But the more signs of a recession appear, the more difficult it becomes to pass on a high wage increase. Speed is therefore required, which is why the employer now wants to make a high wage offer so that a collective labor agreement can be concluded quickly. But it is very important here that the renewal agenda is immediately started, in which everything else that is discussed in the course of 2023 to September, whereby binding decisions are taken. These can then be found in the collective labor agreement for 2024.
Speed okay, but gives our supporters confidence by cultivating more goodwill.
De Unie agrees with this working method and has indicated that the sign of goodwill (ie payment of the code 95 training and the TCVT certificate) has been well taken up, but that it will not be convincing enough for our supporters. At the very least, do something about the biggest irritations of employees, namely provide a commuting allowance and at least abolish the automaticity of the graduated breaks! A living/working allowance has been offered, unfortunately with a deduction of the first 10 kilometers and the question about the graduated break has been rejected without argument.
Can the employer's final offer bridge the missing requested 5,5%?
After all, we already said in the proposal letter that we others points decisive for closing this gap between our supply and demand. A 1-year collective labor agreement is appropriate for this procedure.
The €250 gross in proportion to the employment is nice, but it doesn't help, see it as a bit of goodwill. I am happy with the reimbursement of travel expenses, but the missing 10 kilometers will have to be addressed again in the renewal agenda. The argument given (environment) makes no sense. In the renewal agenda, we want the change that if your travel time is less than 10 kilometers you will not be reimbursed for travel costs. But if you live 20 kilometers from work, you will simply be reimbursed for 20 kilometers. We welcome the reimbursement of all compulsory training hours. We also applaud the reduction and possible abolition of the discount former KNV companies in the short term.
We think the joint future agenda is very good and very important. All our points that we now had in the proposal letter and the points that we intended to include in the proposal letter in 2023 will be discussed in detail and will then become a fact in the collective labor agreement 2024. Our current collective labor agreement is very old-fashioned and can then be completely renewed and improved in one go. The will of all parties to this collective labor agreement is present. With the fiscal settlement of the trade union contribution, the employer is once again showing a piece of goodwill.
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It's your move
Ordered before De Unie has not bridged the gap of 5,5%. That is why, as far as we are concerned, there is certainly no agreement in principle. But fair is fair, the offer can be called reasonable in combination with what has already been promised and what the renewal agenda will deliver. All CLA parties have confidence in this. De Unie will therefore keep you constantly informed in the coming period and ask for your opinion on and about the renewal agenda. For us, the gap has been bridged for more than half and therefore we present this final offer positively.
(Aside: I don't think the term final offer is really appropriate in this negotiation. With a real final offer I would always give a negative voting advice. The employer meant more than a final offer in order to be able to give a collective agreement with a short blow or else a long collective agreement -negotiation, in which all subjects are discussed in detail but the wage offer would be much lower).
To vote
Members have been invited to vote. They can vote until October 31, 2022, 12.00:XNUMX noon.
Contact
If you have any questions about the newsletter, please contact me via edith.werger@unie.nl or call 06-5252 2054.
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